MX23RW : Wednesday, July 3 15:41:43| >> :120:3681:3681:

Thomas Tuchel using meditation to calm FA Cup final nerves

Thomas Tuchel using meditation to calm FA Cup final nerves
© Reuters
The Chelsea manager will begin his Wembley day with 20 minutes of mindfulness before tackling Leicester.

Thomas Tuchel has revealed meditation as the antidote to any FA Cup final nerves.

The Chelsea boss will set aside 20 minutes on Saturday morning for a mindfulness session that will kick-start his cup final day.

The Blues will take on Leicester at Wembley with Tuchel overseeing his first final in English football.

Thomas Tuchel File Photo
Thomas Tuchel, pictured, enjoys meditation to stave off big-match nerves (Ian Walton/PA)

And the former Paris St Germain manager has revealed one of his go-to tips for keeping calm under pressure.

"I wake up early and do some sports and some meditation and then be ready to prepare the first meeting," said Tuchel.

"You try to get into some routines, sometimes I try to run after matches when they are late, to get rid of energy to sleep better.

"Sometimes I am very disciplined, sometimes not so.

"I think it is normal to be excited and nervous, sometimes more or less so, and sometimes it can catch me before normal matches, and sometimes you can feel calm even if the pressure is on.

"It's just 20 minutes, breathe in, breathe out. And try hard to do nothing. In the room.

"Some years ago I came into this. It helped me, it was a nice experience.

"When I was a coach at Dortmund, or maybe between Mainz and Dortmund.

"Sometimes I am disciplined and do it twice a day, other times I forget and go without it for a couple of weeks.

"It is nothing special. It is breathing and trying hard to do nothing."

Chelsea boast a fully-fit squad for their Foxes showdown, with Mateo Kovacic finally back after hamstring trouble and N'Golo Kante fit to start after Achilles tendon pain.

Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in goal with Tuchel having selected the Spain stopper throughout the competition.

Tuchel's wife will attend her first Chelsea match, with the 47-year-old coach finally able to manage the Blues in front of supporters.

Chelsea will host Leicester in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with both matches branded "finals" by Tuchel given the Blues' battle for a top-four league finish.

And the focused German coach admitted Saturday's cup final winners will have precious little chance to drink in the moment.

"There are no celebrations planned, this is a special time," said Tuchel.

"It's too close to the next game. For both teams I think it's too close that we play on Tuesday again.

"But this is the schedule and we have to adapt to all needs.

"The situation in the league does not allow us to celebrate. We have two finals coming up and want to win both of them.

"We would have to delay any celebrations – if there would be a reason to have any."

ID:447536: cacheID:447536:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7003:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin during the draw in October 2020
Read Next:
Chelsea and Man City fans able to attend Champions League final
>
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!